Here is an article that i have written for the Bedfordshire on Sunday regarding the proposals made by Covanta Energy and above is a picture of one of these proposed plants.

'I have listened to all sides of the story regarding the intention of the American waste giant ‘Covanta,’ who propose to submit an application to build an energy-from-waste facility at Rookery Pit, close to Marston Moretaine and Stewartby.

The facts are fairly straightforward. European legislation now dictates that we have to dispose of our waste in order to generate energy or Bedfordshire will be heavily fined, which will result in higher council taxes for all.

Over the last few months, I have received many letters and emails asking me to support one side of the argument or another.

As with all such things, I wanted to wait and be sure that I had been fully apprised of all the relevant facts and information.

I have now reached a decision and it is based on fundamental elements of the proposal which, to me, are immovable in terms of compromise.

I am wholly behind providing a facility to cater for Bedfordshire’s waste. I am opposed to the idea of Bedfordshire hosting a facility to dispose of waste for anywhere outside of Beds, such as Buckinghamshire or Cambridgeshire. They can take care of their own.

I am absolutely and steadfastly opposed to the blight on the landscape that such a facility as the one Covanta propose would inflict upon Bedfordshire.

It is common knowledge that I wish to see Bedfordshire’s economy grow via tourism: not industrial development. From almost every vantage point in Bedfordshire in terms of tourism – Ampthill Park, Houghton House, the Millennium Park and just about every beauty spot in the county has to offer, would be spoilt by the view of a large waste site.

And therefore, with this in mind, I have decided that I am opposed to the Covanta proposal. The visual impact upon wider Bedfordshire can not be minimised and it is my belief that once Covanta were established, then any attempt at keeping Bedfordshire a place of rural residence would be lost forever.

Should the Covanta proposal be approved, it would be much harder to defend our position from the hungry developers from that day forward.

So, I am not on the fence, but very clearly opposed and will work and campaign with residents in order to do whatever necessary to fend off such a proposal and work towards an appropriate development which does not blight some of the beautiful views we enjoy.'